Rewatching Cloverfield 17 years on is actually an incredibly frustrating experience, despite my love of the sci-fi movie, because so much potential was wasted. Directed by Matt Reeves, Cloverfield was released in 2008, following a found footage-style narrative about monsters attacking New York City. The film’s critical and commercial success at the box office led to two more Cloverfield movies.

However, the sequels were considerably less well-received and hype for the franchise has since dwindled over time, leading many to wonder what happened to the Cloverfield movies. While there is still an apparent plan in place for a “proper” Cloverfield 2, the franchise is very much stagnant, which is a shame considering how fantastic Matt Reeves’ first movie was.

Cloverfield Was A Clever & Exciting Movie In 2008

Cloverfield Reinvented The Found Footage Genre

Following in the footsteps of the highly-popular The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, 2008’s Cloverfield was also a found footage horror movie. The film followed a group of friends who are attempting to flee a sudden monster attack on New York City, with all the action being captured on a video camera held by one of the characters.

Considering other found footage horror movies predominantly focused on small-scale supernatural storylines, Cloverfield was quite a clever and exciting movie in 2008. Instead of restricting itself to a small location, Cloverfield explored an entire city in a large-scale sci-fi narrative. This hadn’t really been done before, so it became a mᴀssive success due to its novel ideas and great execution.

The “Cloverfield” Name Has Hurt 2 Other Movies

Cloverfield’s Sequels Would Be Better As Standalones

Despite the success of the first movie, future Cloverfield movies were somewhat hurt by the franchise. 2008’s Cloverfield earned $172.4 million on a $30 million budget, which naturally prompted sequels. In 2016, the sequel psychological thriller 10 Cloverfield Lane was released, shortly followed by the third installment, 2018’s The Cloverfield Paradox. However, these two sequels were received very differently.

10 Cloverfield Lane is easily one of the best psychological thrillers of the 2010s. Its slow-burn tension created by its character-driven story was brilliant, earning the movie positive reviews and a $110.2 million box office. However, Cloverfield’s popularity came from its inventive found footage approach. Therefore, when the sequel was delivered in a normal third-person format, it was disappointing.

The same can be said for The Cloverfield Paradox, although the movie was actually negatively reviewed due to its confusing plot and lackluster premise in comparison to its predecessors. While it’s certainly interesting that all three Cloverfield movies have a shared universe, forcing them into the same connected franchise has actually hurt them more than if they were standalone movies.

Rewatching Cloverfield In 2025, It’s Painful To See How Much Potential Was Wasted

The Cloverfield Franchise Hasn’t Been Fully Developed

The problem with rewatching Matt Reeves’ Cloverfield in 2025 is that it is painful to see how much potential was wasted for the franchise. 17 years since the first film debuted, Cloverfield’s franchise still has a lot of major unsolved mysteries, despite its two sequels, as many questions remain frustratingly unanswered, rather than being left naturally intriguing for viewers.

Furthermore, the two sequel movies have failed to live up to the same level as 2008’s movie. Although 10 Cloverfield Lane matched the first film’s ingenuity and clever storytelling, its format and unrelated characters didn’t really deliver a direct sequel to the beloved original. In comparison, The Cloverfield Paradox was considered a bad film overall, earning a shocking 22% Tomatometer.

While a more direct Cloverfield sequel is reportedly in development, this idea has been stagnant for quite some time, making it seem like a bit of an empty promise. As a result, it might have been better to have left Cloverfield as a standalone to begin with, as it appears the sci-fi franchise may have peaked with its first film.

Can A Proper Cloverfield 2 Make Up For The Franchise’s Mistakes, Or Is It Too Late?

Problems With Legacy Suggest Cloverfield Might Be Done

With the hype for the Cloverfield franchise slowly dying out due to long waits for the next instalment, and negatively received sequels, it does pose the question of whether the franchise can be saved. If Cloverfield’s next movie was the real sequel we were promised, would it be enough to revitalize the franchise nearly two decades since it began?

Cloverfield 2 was originally announced in 2021, and was slated to be a more direct sequel to the 2008 film than 10 Cloverfield Lane. In fact, Matt Reeves revealed his original pitch for Cloverfield 2 would have followed the first film quite closely, showing “another perspective” of the events teased by another person filming. Check out his full idea below:

I did something in the movie when Hud is on the bridge before the tail comes and smashes the Brooklyn Bridge in half. There’s a moment where you actually see someone filming him and you realize, “Oh, there’s another perspective on this evening.” So that was one of my thoughts for what could be the beginning of another story. The different perspective would be a different story.

However, while this Cloverfield sequel idea would’ve been interesting, posing a more direct connection to 2008’s film, as well as keeping the found footage style, it may have felt a bit like a rehash. Therefore, I am glad this found footage idea wasn’t pursued as a sequel, as it might have taken away what made Cloverfield so groundbreaking and special.

That being said, four years since the original announcement, we’re no closer to a direct sequel being materialized, and as time goes on, it looks like Cloverfield’s sequel might not happen after all. As a result, I’m not sure another Cloverfield movie would be enough to save the franchise, especially after so many failed attempts to keep the hype going.